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1458364, J. SCI-{ADE V SEPARABLE LOOSE LEAF LEDGER Filed April 2 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 attoz we June 112, 11923.

' J. SCHADE SEPARABLE LOOSE LEAF LEDGER Filed April 2, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WH MMH m Jame 12,- W226. 3,458,

J. SCHADE SEPARABLE LOOSE LEAF" LEDGER FiledAbril 2. 1921 s SheetS-Shet 5 Patented dune 112, i923.

JOHN SGHADE, OF HOLYOKE, IllIASSACl-IUSETTS, ASSIGNOEL T BlATlIONAL BLANK BOOK COIJPANY, 01 HOLYOKE, ItIASSACHUSETTS, A VQLUNTARY TRUST assoornaron.

SEPABABLE LOOSE-LEAF LEDGER.

Application filed April .3, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Sermon, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Holyoke, county of Hampden, and State 5 of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separable Loose-Leaf Ledgers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de- I script-ion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to loose leaf lodgers and more particularly has reference to that class of such devices in which the covers of the lodgers are separable so as to constitute two individual portions of the ledger.

Ledger's of this particular description are generally utilized in banks and also in all instances where it is necessary to remove the sheets for the purpose of making entries thereon, or for other obvious purposes, and to then transfer them to the proper half of the ledger, and in order to provide for the ready holding of the ledger sections a suitable stand is utilized on which these separate sections are mounted so that the transfer of the loose leaves is rendered a very simple matter.

Heretofore, lodgers of this particular description have been in use, but it has been necessary to have several ledgers, whose leaf holding capacity is limited to the length of the posts that are permanently secured to the ledger sections and which enter the perforations in the sheets, and in ledgers of this sort it is necessary to part the leaves in about the center, when the sections are separated, so that the leaves will not drop on the retaining posts, the length of which is limited to the thickness of the mass of sheets.

In other types of extension ledgers of this character as heretofore used, separate extension posts have been employed, in order to temporarily build up the posts that are per-- manently fixed in the ledger sections, so that the loose leaves could be manipulated with out accidental displacement, and readily transferred from one section of the ledger to the other. V

The present improvement therefore aims to overcome the above objections first by providing a structure which takes the place of several ledgers, or provides an expansion ledger, which latter accommodates the full capacity of leaves and in a manner firmly Serial No. 458,014.

held together, whether the thickness of the mass of sheets is at maximum or minimum and second, a structure wherein when the sections of the ledger are separated, each half can contain the full capacity of leaves with no danger whatever of the latter dropping off the securing posts, and to this end each section of the ledger is permanently provided with automatically operating eX tension posts which posts on each section extend considerably beyond the leaves even though all of the leaves of the ledger are placed on either section alone, and which also form a permanent part of the device.

The invention still further aims to provide means for securing the ledger sections together so that the leaves will be tightly bound and will be so retained in the ledger that they cannot be accidentally displaced.

A further object of the invention, is to provide a ledger in which means is provided to lock the sheets in position and in which the sheet-locking means is released to allow the sheets to be removed at the same time the two sections are released and the latter thereby rendered ready for separation.

Still further and other objects will be later set forth and manifested in the course of the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1, is an end elevation showing the stand and the ledger thereon with its sec tions in separated position:

Figure 2, is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 3:

Figure 3, is an end elevation of the sections in connected position:

Figure 4, is a section on line e ll of Figure 2:

Figure 5, is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 2:

Figure 6, is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a section on line 7---'( of Figure 2, and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of one of the post-receiving slots of one of the sheets.

In proceedin in accordance with the present invention, a stand is employed embodying a base 1, having mounted thereon lower seat member 2 for one section A of the binder and an upper seat member 3 for the Q v y 1,458,364

member hinged to a metal member of approximately L -shape, the tongues 5 and 6 of the members overlapping as shown in Figure 4, and having end flanges 7 and 8 respectively which telescopically engage Within each other as shown in Figure 3, thereby holding the sections against relative endwise movement.

The base of the L-member having tongue 5 is formed toprovide a hollow casing 11. and has, a screw 9 journalled therein, the screw having a squared end 10 to engage a key, (not shown) by means or which the screw may be rotated. This screw has right and left hand threads as shown in Figure 2, which engage in correspondingly threaded apertures in slidable blocks 12 and 13 respectively so that the blocks will move toward, or away trom one another in unison, ZLCCOICF ing to the direction of rotation 01 the screw,

The extensible posts as shown in Figure 2, are preterablyifour in number, two being carried by each section and have elongated tubular base members and extension members telescoping therein. Thebase members 14 of the section A are rigidly secured at their'lower ends to the blocks 12 and 13 so as to move therewith, as shown in Fi ures 2 and 5 while the extension members 10 thereof liavetheir tubular edge at their free outer ends inturned at 1,6 to form a seat for along coil spring 17 which latter extends throughout the lengths of the tWo neinbei-s tonormally urge the parts outwardly. Inorder to prevent complete separation of the parts 14 and 15, the latter have longitudinal channels or grooves 18 formed by bending the tube inwardly as depicted in Figure 6, and forming a shoulder-'19 at the inner end of the groove, the shoulder being engaged by a teat 20 which is struck from the tube 14. This described extensible post construction is identical with the posts of the section B, though in the latter instance, the posts bases 21 are rigidly secured to the housing 22 of member B.

The tongues 5 and 6 have bases 5 and 6 which are secured to the housings 11 and 22 by screws 23and have their sides 24 and 24; bent ove as shown in Figures 3 and 7 to form guides for the ends of the extensible posts, for which purpose and for also allow ing the base members 14 of the posts to slide with the blocks 12 and 13, the sides 24 are tormedwith elongatedopenings 25 which register with similar openings 25 formed in the inner side faces of the housings 11 and 22 as shown in Figure 3. The openings or sockets 42' which receive the telescopic outer members l2 of the bases 21 of section B are not enlarged in theinstanoe oi the plate 2% and housing 11', since the bases 21 are rigidly secured to housing 22 and do not shift or move laterally oi the ledger as do the posts 144.5 of the section A.

will be presently described.

For the purpose of locking the sectionsA and B together, the device illustrated in Figure 4, is used and embodies a base post of tubular form 27 rigidly secured to the housing 22 and receiving therein a complementai-y member 28 permanently carried by the housing 11 of section A. A friction clutch generally indicated at, 29 is carried by the memb r 28 and is actuated by a cam 30 carried by the block 12, a spring 31 being employed to tension the member 28. The cam 30 acts against a pin 32 carried by arms 28 extending upwardly fromthe member 28 more fully shown in my Patent No. 1,418,329) so as toin ove the clutch intoand out of clutching or operative locking engages ment with the member 27. The specific form of clutch employed is of no consequence as to the present invention, and hence is not described in detail herein, forming, the subject matter of a companion application herewith filed. It is merely necessary that some form of clutch be employed to lock the members 28 and 29 together, which clutch is operated by and upon operation of the screw .9,

The sheets 33 have bayonet-shaped 34 so that the men'i'bersllof the posts of section it can move into the lateral parts of the slots to thus lock thesheets against accidental withdrawal, l

In O])B12ltl0il,tl1e rod 9 is turned counterclockwise to enable separation of the sections, which movement causes the twomove able posts 14*?15 'to' 'relatively. separate or move apart, thereby, to l'l'lOVB outof the lateral parts of the slots 34; of the sheets 33 i and into the main parts of such slots, the base parts 14 ot' the posts moving in the elongated slots25 of the housing ll while the parts 15 of said posts move in the elon-' TlllSDiOVQIHGnt of the screw 9 effects through ice the cam 30 and pin 32 movement of, the clutch 25) to inoperative or i'eleasedpositionj,

the movement oi": the posts Me ia) to release] the sheets and the release oi? the'clutch being each effected by the one operation of rotat n the screw 9. The sections are then lifted onto the stand as shownin Figurel, and are in a position for the accountant to remove the sheets one by one, n' ake his proper notations, and then transfer them to the other section.

The separation of the sections releasesthe tend considerably beyond the stack of sheets so that the lattercannot drop from or move out of ngagement with thepos'ts.

ln putting the sections together after transfer of the sheets the empty section is slid down the inclined way a of the stand until the posts enter their proper apertures and the clutch members 27 and 28 are in the telescoped position of Figure 4, whereupon the sections are forced together and the ledger then placed flat on the table and pressure manually applied to force the parts to their limit of approach, whereupon the key is used to turn the screw clockwise and thereby move the posts 14 into the lateral parts of the bayonet-slots of the sheets to lock the latter, and to also move the clutch to locked position. When the sections are put together, the posts are automatically telescoped.

In other ledgers as used, when same are filled to their maximum capacity, the thickness of the mass of sheets is about equal to the length of the posts, and therefore the sections cannot be separated readily so as to leave all the leaves on one set of posts since these leaves would then scatter in all directions. Therefore it has heretofore been necessary to either separate these sections in about the middle so that a part of the leaves would be held on the posts of one section and part on the posts of the other section, or to provide temporary and separate extension posts which are secured to the posts of both sections.

The important feature of the present invention therefore resides in the automatically operating extension posts, since each half of the ledger can contain the full capacity of leaves which can be manipulated as heretofore set forth with no danger of accidental displacement, and moreover, the ledger can thus take the place of several books, as before noted, since it is possible to clamp'the leaves together whether the book is inches thick or 6 inches thick.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loose leaf ledge-r, a pair of separable sections, extensible leaf-engaging posts carried by each section, means to lock the sections together, means for automatically extending the posts when the sections are separated and means on each section to receive and guide the outer ends of the post extensions of the complementary section when the sections are in closed relation and during locking thereof.

In a loose leaf ledger, a pair of separable sections each having a housing, blocks slidable in one housing, the opposite housing having sockets, leaf-engaging posts secured at one end to the respective blocks and having their opposite ends engaged in the sockets, means to actuate the blocks, and means to lock the sections together.

3. In a loose leaf ledger, a pair of separable sections each having a housing, blocks slidable in one housing, the opposite housing having sockets, leaf-engaging posts secured at one end to the respective blocks and having their opposite ends engaged in the sockets, means to actuate the blocks, means to lock the sections together, and meanscar ried by one of the blocl s to actuate the means to lock the sections together.

l. In a loose leaf binder, separable sections each having sockets, posts carried'by each, and having ends for engagement in the sockets of the other section, and means to lock the sections together including telescopic parts carried by the sections and a clutch for locking the telescopic parts together.

5. In a loose leaf binder, separable sections, one of said sections having a pair of sliding blocks on the base thereof, a screw having right and left hand threads engaged with the blocks to move the blocks towards and away from each other according to the direction of rotation of the screw, posts secured at their base ends to the blocks, leaves having bayonet-slots to receive the posts, means to lock the sections together, and means operated by the screw to actuate the locking means, whereby the latter and the posts are operated in unison to lock and unlock the sectionsand to cause the posts to move into and out of the leaf slots to lock and unlock the leaves.

6. In a loose leaf binder, separable sections, means to lock the sections together, one of said sections having a pair of slidin blocks, a screw having right and left han threads engaged with the blocks to move the blocks towards and away from each other according to the direction of rotation of the screw, posts carried by the blocks, leaves formed for locked and unlocked engagement with the posts, and means on one of the blocks to operate the means for locking the sections together whereby to lock and unlock the sections simultaneously with movement of the posts to lock and un lock the leaves.

7. In a loose leaf binder, a pair of separable sections, means to lock the sections together, means to lock the leaves against accidental withdrawal, means carried by the locking means of the leaves to actuate the locking means of the sections and means for effecting positive operation of said locking means of the leaves.

81 In a loose leaf binder, a pair of sep arable sections each having sockets, means to lock the sections together, and extensible and collapsible-posts borne by each and formed to engage in the sockets of the oppositesections so as to be automatically collapsed when the sections are put together and upon separation of the sections to be automatically extended.

9. In a loose leaf ledger, a pair of separable sections, leaf-engaging posts, slidable means on one section having one end of the posts seeured thereto, leaves formed with slots to receive the posts and with lat; eral, extensions, means to lock the sections together, means carried by the slidable means to actuate the locking means of the sections, and means to, actuatethe sliding means to inove'theposts into the lateral extensions of the slots;

10. Ina loose leafledg er, a. pair of separable sections, leaf engaging posts carried by each SBCUOIILIIIGELDS having one end of the posts. of one section aflixecl thereto'toi move the latter, and means to actuate the JO N soHAnn l 

